Marketing Hit then Miss: The OG Wine in a Can
Underwood is the OG wine in a can. They went from being on top of the world (in the world of portable alcoholic beverages) to letting others catch up to the bandwagon.
Here’s what happened…
The backstory:
A few years ago, Union Wine Co was the first on the scene with their line of Underwood cans. It had a slow start. People were skeptical, consumers were rather confused, and shop owners had no idea how to highlight such a product on the shelf. "In what world could wine taste good out of a can?" they thought. "Doesn't it taste like metal?" "Wine can't possibly last in a can, can it?" And even, "what's the point, bottles are fine, aren't they?" Were just some of the many questions flitting through their minds.
It didn't take long before consumers, and by that I do mean mostly the millennials amongst us, recognized the true novelty of this item. It's not just a fun package to show off to your friends - it's also portable, in smaller portions, and most importantly, not made of glass. Wine in a can is also way cooler looking than it's tetra pack cousins (think: supermarket-bought chicken soup containers made to fit a bottle of wine instead of a salty allegedly ‘lower sodium’ broth box).
Where they missed the mark:
Wine in a can is great. Wine in a can in a size that people recognize and are familiar with (i.e.: the size of a standard beer can) is also great, unless you are a venue owner who is concerned about people walking around your events with half bottles of wine in their hands. Yep, you heard me right - a single standard beer-sized can of wine is 375 milliliters aka half of a bottle of wine.
For this reason on-premise (that’s restaurants, bars, clubs, event spaces, outdoor theaters, etc.) sales of this product always suffered and honestly, it makes perfect sense.
Most event spaces limit patrons to one to two drinks per purchase, especially if the crowd is known to get rowdy and be heavy drinkers. So what’s a venue to do when a single can of this particular product is really the equivalent of two full drinks? Not carry it at all and not go through the hassle, that’s what.
Consumers (aka you people reading this, most likely) are also usually very confused that a single can of standard beer-sized wine equates to a half bottle. Most consumers also don’t know that 375 milliliters is the actual volume of half a bottle of wine, so including that on the front label really doesn’t do a damn thing to help this cause either. This means too, that consumers at those aforementioned event venues, will more times than not end up drinking the refreshing wine-in-a-can beverage quicker, since it’s just the alcoholic equivalent of a can of beer, right? (Please tell me you know this is wrong by this point in this article…) Which said event venues obviously have an aversion to.
Busting the myths about wine in a can:
Wine in a can is truly an amazing thing. It solves so many of life's little problems that quite honestly didn't seem like huge issues before, but now you have to wonder how you could ever go back to the way things were with just having wine in a bottle. So let's tackle these questions one by one:
"What's the point, bottles are fine, aren't they?"
So wrong. Think of all the places where glass bottles are frowned upon... the beach, pools, large grassy knolls perfect for picnic spots and sporting games, golf courses, boats, backyard barbecues, sports venues, outdoor concert venues, festivals with or without flower crowns, ski slopes, at campgrounds, at adult summer camp (yes, this does actually exist)... and the list goes on. Instead of just not drinking wine at all and going for a canned alternative, you can now grab a chilled can of some wine instead; which, if you’re like me and beer makes you pee approximately five times an hour, is a huge added bonus to outdoor activities.
"Wine can't possibly last in a can, can it?"
Good news is that wine in a can is meant to drink now, today, tomorrow, next month, whenever. It's not like you're purchasing a $100 bottle of classified growth Bordeaux that's meant to age in a cellar for the next 10+ years. These cans are cheap ($10 or less), super easy-drinking (though not recommended for shot-gunning), and meant to drink today when you get home from work (just make sure you have some waiting in the refrigerator for you).
"Doesn't it taste like metal?"
Wine in a can is similar to soda in a can or beer in a can, in that none of these products taste like aluminum. In general, it’s normal to worry that the more acidic liquids could deteriorate the interior lining of an aluminum can and create that gross metal taste. You might be surprised to know that most soda is actually a whole pH level higher than that of beer or wine (aka soda is more acidic than its alcoholic counterparts).
"So why don't I have this wine, right now, in my hand?"
This is the question I often ask myself everyday, and wonder how difficult it might be to hire a personal assistant to make sure I am never without wine in a can when I need it again.